Good News!
Goods News!
I am settled in on the 21st floor of John and Val H’s Art Deco high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan in Chicago. I went to college with John and we became good friends while in the Men’s Chorus together. It has been over 20 years -- maybe over 25! -- since we last saw each other although we do exchange Christmas greetings every year! It was great to see him and Val!
I had hoped to come last Saturday and spend a nice evening and Sunday morning with them, but the results of my prostate biopsy had not arrived by Friday, so I had to reschedule my departure from Minnesota, and count on hearing from the clinic on Monday, as promised.
On Monday I woke up feeling very anxious and unsettled. I had never felt this way about a prostate biopsy before, or any other test of my physical health. I have alway come through any such exam with a clean bill of health, so I am hard pressed to understand the anxiety I was feeling Monday morning.
Robbie called me to see how I was doing. I told him I would give the clinic until 1 PM to call me, and if they hadn’t I would call them.
By 1:30 PM I still hadn’t heard from them, so I called. The doctor’s assistant put me on hold for 10 minutes then finally returned.
“The results are negative. No cancer.” I said, Thank you, and hung up. What a relief!
I immediately started packing the car!
Since John wasn’t going to be home until after 6:30PM anyway, I figured I didn’t need to leave at the crack of dawn. I pulled out of the driveway at Wheelock Parkway at about 9:30 AM. There was some concern about the weather. Rain and snow were supposed to be moving up from the southwest in the afternoon, but for the bulk of the trip there was nothing to concern me. I decided to avoid the toll roads and came into Chicago from the North on Highway 12. Just north of the Illinois line it start to rain, then sleet, then snow heavily. Fortunately for me, the snow did not last for long before turning into rain again. As it was, I was only about 15 minutes late arriving.
Their apartment is amazing! I wish I could have taken some pictures of it, but we were so busy talking and catching up with each other, it never occurred to me until too late.
I was happy to be able to share with John some recordings I made on reel-to-reel tape back in 1973 when he had hitchhiked to Minnesota from his home in Michigan. Along with members of my family, we made some music (of sorts) and it is very fun to hear it again after all these years.
Tomorrow the weather doesn’t look that promising, but I am going to get up early and head out towards Sarnia/Port Huron as soon as I can. I hope my next visit with John and Val is not so long in materializing!
I am settled in on the 21st floor of John and Val H’s Art Deco high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan in Chicago. I went to college with John and we became good friends while in the Men’s Chorus together. It has been over 20 years -- maybe over 25! -- since we last saw each other although we do exchange Christmas greetings every year! It was great to see him and Val!
I had hoped to come last Saturday and spend a nice evening and Sunday morning with them, but the results of my prostate biopsy had not arrived by Friday, so I had to reschedule my departure from Minnesota, and count on hearing from the clinic on Monday, as promised.
On Monday I woke up feeling very anxious and unsettled. I had never felt this way about a prostate biopsy before, or any other test of my physical health. I have alway come through any such exam with a clean bill of health, so I am hard pressed to understand the anxiety I was feeling Monday morning.
Robbie called me to see how I was doing. I told him I would give the clinic until 1 PM to call me, and if they hadn’t I would call them.
By 1:30 PM I still hadn’t heard from them, so I called. The doctor’s assistant put me on hold for 10 minutes then finally returned.
“The results are negative. No cancer.” I said, Thank you, and hung up. What a relief!
I immediately started packing the car!
Since John wasn’t going to be home until after 6:30PM anyway, I figured I didn’t need to leave at the crack of dawn. I pulled out of the driveway at Wheelock Parkway at about 9:30 AM. There was some concern about the weather. Rain and snow were supposed to be moving up from the southwest in the afternoon, but for the bulk of the trip there was nothing to concern me. I decided to avoid the toll roads and came into Chicago from the North on Highway 12. Just north of the Illinois line it start to rain, then sleet, then snow heavily. Fortunately for me, the snow did not last for long before turning into rain again. As it was, I was only about 15 minutes late arriving.
Their apartment is amazing! I wish I could have taken some pictures of it, but we were so busy talking and catching up with each other, it never occurred to me until too late.
I was happy to be able to share with John some recordings I made on reel-to-reel tape back in 1973 when he had hitchhiked to Minnesota from his home in Michigan. Along with members of my family, we made some music (of sorts) and it is very fun to hear it again after all these years.
Tomorrow the weather doesn’t look that promising, but I am going to get up early and head out towards Sarnia/Port Huron as soon as I can. I hope my next visit with John and Val is not so long in materializing!